Brother Ali Biography

Brother Ali is an American hip hop artist, producer, and his music focuses mainly on themes of social justice and activism.

Early Life

Ali Douglas Newman was born in Madison, Wisconsin on July 30, 1977. His family moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota and he started rapping at age 8. Growing up, Ali was heavily influenced by break dancing and graffiti. At 15 years old he converted to Islam and joined a community that encouraged peace between religions.

Career Beginnings

Ali’s mixtape made its way into the hands of the Rhymesayers crew and he was signed. In 2003, he released his debut album, Shadows on the Sun along with the single Forest Whitiker. The track tackled the subject of albinism, a disorder he had since birth. In 2004, he issued the EP Champion followed by a difficult personal period in his life.

Rising Popularity

Nonetheless, this inspired Ali for his next music material in the form of The Undisputed Truth. The album became his first commercial success as it entered the Billboard 200. However, the album was a harsh critic of the US government which caused a backlash from the US Department of Homeland Security. As a result, the department stopped money transfer to his record label. In 2009 he returned with the LP Us, supporting the return of true hip-hop followed by the political themed 2012 Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color. Ali had a break from music by focusing on other projects but returned in 2017 with the sixth release, All the Beauty in This Whole Life. The project was one of his most positive and uplifting work so far.

Photo credit: Adam Stanzack